Monday, October 15, 2012

Review: Matt and Kim with Oberhofer at Varitey Playhouse in Atlanta

You ever have a day that everything seems to be going wrong, but it ends up working out perfectly? This past weekend I headed to my hometown of Atlanta, Georgia for a taste of the great fun Brooklyn has to offer. That's right, Brooklyn.

My buddy Chason and I had been meaning to see a Falcons game, and wanted to round out the weekend with our other favorite past-time, going to great concerts. Well first off, this concert is scheduled to start at 7:30, and we live about 4 hours away from Atlanta in the great city of Nashville. Not a problem at all when you get off work at noon to head down. A big problem when Chason gets dragged into a meeting putting us into heading out of Nashville at 3p. We hit plenty of traffic on the ride down too [with rush hour in Chattanooga and Pride Festival happening in Atlanta]. We got to the venue right at 8:30, hopefully in time to catch most of Matt and Kim, already giving up on seeing one of my favorite new bands Oberhofer for the 5th time [yes, I missed all of their Bonnaroo sets].

8:30 on the dot, Oberhofer fires up their amps and lets loose on the crowd. Unrefined, edgy, fun and completely energized, these guys know how to put on a show. Sure, it was not a polished show, but it reminded of the Kooks half a decade ago. Chason had never had an opportunity to really listen to them, but we both agreed, the raw talent and excitement alone kept their show very fun and entertaining. And after touring with Matt and Kim, they will polish up their act and I know these guys will be huge [I mean they already have a spot on T-Mobile commercials]. "We're Oberhofer. That's O. B. E. R. H. O. F. E. R. We love you with a passion. That's Matt, that's Dylan, that's Ben, that's Pete and I'm Brad" [please note they introduced themselves like this twice during the show and never once actually pointed to who was who, which was a bit more charming than it was confusing].

Up next, the show I've been dying to see since freshmen year of college, Matt and Kim. Bumping bassy hip-hop jams and dancing around constantly, while chubby children workout on the big screen behind them, Matt and Kim absolutely kill it. It was so much more fun than I had expected, and I had always heard the best about their shows. About three songs deep they toss 250 flat balloons into the crowd, with the instruction "blow these up, hold onto them, then at the count of 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4 chuck em!" Well, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4 and confetti blows out, balloons explode into the sky, and a dancey happy rave begins. A few more tracks down and after flirting, joking and just making everyone in the crowd feel like the center of the universe, Kim has a special request. She wants to stand on the hands of everyone in the front and drop it low. Hands are immediately up and ready to hold her as we bump to some more old time hip hop faves. "Good Old-Fashioned Nightmare" fires up and right before the chorus, an ode to "Jump On It" fires out into the crowd. A packed venue makes sure to bounce, wobble, dance and superman about.

If and when you get a chance to see Matt and Kim, take it. My favorite show of the year [well tied with the Naked and Famous]. Check out my favorite video of their's "Block after Block" for just a slight taste of the excellence that is Matt and Kim. And I promise you, the more you hear and see of Oberhofer, take time to learn about them, and go see these guys in Concert. Check out their single "Away FRM U" below.